English Department Faculty

Chris Hair, associate professor, completed a B.A. and an M.A. in English at Baylor University and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Kentucky. He came to Emmanuel College from Oklahoma State University and has also taught at the University of Kentucky and Baylor. Dr. Hair’s dissertation is entitled “Seventeenth Century Discord and the Paradise Within: Genesis in the Works of Winstanley, Milton, Hutchinson, and Cavendish.” His teaching interests include composition, Medieval and Renaissance literature, early modern women writers, 18th-century literature and early American literature. He has been published in Kentucky Philological Review and in Renaissance Papers. He, his wife, Amanda, and their children live on campus.

Danny comes to Emmanuel College from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he recently completed his Ph.D. in English. His dissertation explores representations of university spaces in Jewish American fiction, and he has a great interest in liberal arts education and its role in identity formation. As a teacher, Danny is particularly invested in helping students more richly experience life through the experience of reading literature and watching films. He is, therefore, excited to join Emmanuel’s English department. The college’s mission to integrate faith and learning closely resembles Danny's own values in terms of higher education, which he see as a process of developing the whole person, intellectually, physically, and spiritually.

Danny says he is blessed to be a part of Emmanuel College at this exciting time in its history. The college’s vision for itself and its students is inspiring and he is anxious to take part in that vision.

Danny lives in Comer with his wife, Kim, and their two daughters. They are all enjoying the experience of getting to know Northeast Georgia, and he looks forward to growing into his role in the Emmanuel community in the years to come!

Karen Compton, instructor, earned her B.A. in English and mass communication and her M.A. in English at Winthrop University. She started her college teaching career at Emmanuel College in the fall of 2000. She teaches freshman composition, introduction to literature, and American literature and directs the Academic Resource Center. Her interests include composition, American literature, African American literature, and tutor training. Her master’s thesis was entitled “Examination of the Microcosm in Katherine Anne Porter’s Ship of Fools, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Stephen Crane’s ‘The Open Boat.’” Mrs. Compton and her husband, Steve, live in Anderson, S.C., and have two children, Patricia Ann and Ben.

Kyle Garrett, assistant professor, holds a B.A. in English (2007) and an M.F.A. in creative writing and English (2010) from the University of Georgia. He joined the English department in 2010. His academic interests include modern American literature, Southern literature, and exposing the laws that govern every true work of art. His personal interests include constructing edible works of art, writing poems and stories, Braves baseball, and pursuing Christ. He lives in Franklin Springs with his wife, Stephanie, and their ferocious cat, Zambizee.

Stephanie Garrett, instructor, completed her B.A. in theater at Brenau University (2006) and M.A. in English at the University of Georgia (2010); she is now working on her PhD in Theatre and Film Studies at Georgia. She began teaching at Emmanuel in 2010. She worked with many theater companies including Florida Studio Theater (Sarasota, FL), the Gainesville Theater Alliance, and the Atlanta branch of Christian Youth Theater. Her interests include directing and acting, the long nineteenth-century (especially Jane Austen), British Romanticism, and Japanese and Korean literature and pop-culture. She enjoys the integration of theater with the study of literature and the integration of Christian faith and the arts. She and Mr. Garrett have a cat named Momo and they live in Franklin Springs. They attend Redeemer Presbyterian in Athens, GA.

Nathan P. Gilmour double-majored in English and philosophy as an undergraduate, completed Master of Arts degrees in Old Testament and English, and completed his Ph.D in 2012 with a dissertation on English literature and Christian theology. He joined the faculty at Emmanuel College in 2009 and has continued those trends, teaching a broad range of rhetoric, literature, medieval language, and philosophy courses. Nathan serves Emmanuel College as director of Composition Culture, a program seeking to incorporate writing and rhetoric in all of the disciplines. Nathan and his wife Mary live near Athens with their young children, and he is the interim preacher at Athens Christian Church. Nathan is one of the hosts of the Christian Humanist Podcast (available for free on iTunes!) and a longsuffering Chicago Cubs fan.

Barbara Goodwin, Associate Professor of English, served as chair of the department from 2002-2012. She was coordinator of the English Education program from its inception in 2001 through 2012. She holds an M.A. in English Education degree from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri. She has taught at Emmanuel since 1996, having previously taught at Southeastern College in Lakeland, FL, and Evangel College, Springfield, MO. She worked in the Sun–Coast Area Teacher Training Program (SCATT) at the University of South Florida where she wrote materials for the program. Her other professional experiences include teaching English at Lakeland Highlands Junior High School, serving as Director of Information Services at Evangel College in Springfield, MO, and working as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian and the West Plains Daily Quill. She was the recipient of the Master Teacher Award from the State of Florida 1984-1987 and was honored by Emmanuel College in 2002 with the Brady Faculty Award and again in 2007 with the Firebaugh Memorial Faculty Award. She is sponsor of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society. Her specialties include composition as well as adolescent and American literature. She and her husband Mark, a professor of music at Emmanuel, live near Franklin Springs and have two sons: Scott, who lives in Lexington, GA, and Tim, who, with his wife Kelly, lives in Lawrenceville, GA. They dote on their granddaughter Olivia.

Adjunct Faculty

Cathy Acree, Adjunct, also serves as the Assistant Registrar of Emmanuel College. Before working at Emmanuel, she was a student at Emmanuel College where she received her A.S. in Business Administration (’04) and her B.A. in English (’06) and was Valedictorian of both classes. In 2010, she received her certification to teach English 6-12 through North Georgia College and State University. She is currently pursuing a M.A. in English Education at Piedmont College. In addition, Cathy has a photography business, Catchlight Photography, that she started in 2009. Cathy resides in Royston with her husband Andrew, 2 huskies, Luna and Mojo, and grey cat, Indy.

Elizabeth Faucett, instructor, earned her B.A. in English from Brenau University in 2010 and her M.A. in Literature from University College Dublin in 2012. She has worked as a multimedia intern at Paste and as an administrative intern at Dublin's International Film Festival. Elizabeth also enjoys working with children and helping to foster their relationship with Christ through her work as a Kindermusik educator at Jones Chapel United Methodist. Her interests include British literature and its film and novel adaptations, ecofeminist literature, and science fiction. She enjoys traveling, film, and spending time with her beloved cat, Chocolate.

Cortney Johnston, instructor, earned her B.A. in English from the University of Alabama and her M.S. in Secondary English Education from Jacksonville State University. Cortney taught 10th grade and senior english at The Kingʼs Academy, a Christian school and one of the top private schools Palm Beach, for the past five years. She worked as the Critical Thinking coordinator for the English department as well as helped map and develop the writing curriculum for the newly revised English department. Cortney enjoys reading British and American literature, historical fiction, and mythology. She enjoys spending time cooking, playing, and laughing with her one-year-old baby girl Lydia, her husband Patrick, and their two dogs Rusty and Sophy.